Issaka Ndekugri, Ana Karina Silverio and Jim Mason
States have intervened with legislation to improve cashflow within construction project supply chains. The operation of the UK’s Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act…
Abstract
Purpose
States have intervened with legislation to improve cashflow within construction project supply chains. The operation of the UK’s Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 leads to payment obligations stated either as a contract administrator’s certificate (or equivalent) or an adjudicator’s decision. The purpose of the intervention would be defeated unless there are speedy ways of transforming these pieces of paper into real money. The combination of the legislation, contractual provisions and insolvency law has produced a minefield of complexity concerning enforcement of payment obligations stated in these documents. Unfortunately, the knowledge and understanding required to navigate these complexities have been sorely lacking. The purpose of this paper is to plug this gap.
Design/methodology/approach
Legal research methods and case study approaches, using relevant court decisions as data, were adopted.
Findings
The enforcement method advised by the court is the summary judgment procedure provided under the Civil Procedure Rules. An overdue payment obligation, either under the terms of a construction contract or an adjudicator’s decision, amounts to a debt that can be the subject of insolvency proceedings. Although the insolvency enforcement method has been successfully used on some occasions, using it purely as a debt collection weapon would be inappropriate and likely to be punished by the court.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to knowledge in two ways: (i) it maps out the factual situations in which these payment challenges arise in language accessible to the construction industry’s professions; and (ii) comparative analysis of payment enforcement methods to aid decision-making by parties to construction industry contracts. It is relevant to the other common-law jurisdictions in which similar statutory interventions have been made.
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Markus Lüttenberg, Alexander Zienau, Marcus Wiens, Ole Hansen, Florian Diehlmann and Frank Schultmann
In crises like natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic, public actors might have to take over responsibility for the population’s supply when the market fails to meet the…
Abstract
Purpose
In crises like natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic, public actors might have to take over responsibility for the population’s supply when the market fails to meet the demand for essential goods. Companies can be valuable collaboration partners for public actors. However, conditions under which companies are willing and able to support public crisis management need to be better understood. This paper aims to empirically investigate expectations and motivation to better understand the motives leading companies to participate in public–private emergency collaborations. To enable successful collaboration, the paper develops crisis preparedness guidelines for state institutions and companies.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors develop and conduct a survey and statistically analyze the responses of 398 German companies from the food, health-care and logistics sectors.
Findings
Most companies have already engaged in crisis management and are willing to engage collaboratively. While their preferred contribution to collaborative crisis management is providing resources (e.g. goods or equipment) instead of coordination tasks, they also want to ensure that their business processes are sustained. Among the most promising incentives to increase company engagement are monetary compensation for provided resources and an improved communication policy. Logistics companies are motivated more by relaxing regulations, whereas health-care companies prefer reputation measures.
Practical implications
The insights provide the basis for public and private actors to foster public–private collaboration and raises awareness of its potential during crises. Moreover, this study promotes the systematic implementation of public–private emergency collaborations.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to empirically investigate the perspective of companies operating in the fields of logistics, food and health-care industries toward public–private collaboration in crisis management.
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Zhening Liu, Alistair Brandon-Jones and Christos Vasilakis
The purpose of this paper is to examine patient engagement in remote consultation services, an increasingly important issue facing Healthcare Operations Management (HOM) given the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine patient engagement in remote consultation services, an increasingly important issue facing Healthcare Operations Management (HOM) given the significant expansion in this and other forms of telehealth worldwide over the last decade. We use our analysis of the literature to develop a comprehensive framework that incorporates the patient journey, multidimensionality, antecedents and consequences, interventions and improvement options, as well as the cyclic nature of patient engagement. We also propose measures suitable for empirical assessment of different aspects of our framework.
Design/methodology/approach
We undertook a comprehensive review of the extant literature using a systematic review approach. We identified and analysed 63 articles published in peer-reviewed scientific journals between 2003 and 2022.
Findings
We conceptualise patient engagement with remote consultation across three key aspects: dimensions, process, and the antecedents and consequences of engagement. We identify nine contextual categories that influence such engagement. We propose several possible metrics for measuring patient engagement during three stages (before service, at/during service and after service) of remote consultation, as well as interventions and possible options for improving patient engagement therein.
Originality/value
The primary contribution of our research is the development of a comprehensive framework for patient engagement in remote consultation that draws on insights from literature in several disciplines. In addition, we have linked the three dimensions of engagement with the clinical process to create a structure for future engagement assessment. Furthermore, we have identified impact factors and outcomes of engagement in remote consultation by understanding which can help to improve levels of adoption, application and satisfaction, and reduce healthcare inequality. Finally, we have adopted a “cyclic” perspective and identified potential interventions that can be combined to further improve patient engagement in remote consultation.
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Jasmin Mahadevan, Tobias Reichert, Jakob Steinmann, Annabelle Stärkle, Sven Metzler, Lisa Bacher, Raphael Diehm and Frederik Goroll
We conceptualized the novel phenomenon of COVID-induced virtual teams and its implications and provided researchers with the required information on how to conduct a…
Abstract
Purpose
We conceptualized the novel phenomenon of COVID-induced virtual teams and its implications and provided researchers with the required information on how to conduct a phenomenon-based study for conceptualizing novel phenomena in relevant ways.
Design/methodology/approach
This article stems from phenomenon-based and, thus, theory-building and grounded qualitative research in the German industrial sector. We conducted 47 problem-centered interviews in two phases (February–July 2021 and February–July 2022) to understand how team members and team leaders experienced COVID-induced virtual teamwork and its subsequent developments.
Findings
Empirically, we found COVID-induced virtual teams to be characterized by a high relevance of shaping positive team dynamics via steering internal moderators; crisis is a novel external moderator and transformation becomes the key output factor to be leveraged. Work-from-home leads to specific configuration needs and interrelations between work-from-home and on-site introduce additional dynamics. Methodologically, the phenomenon-based approach is found to be highly suitable for studying the effects of such novel phenomena.
Research limitations/implications
This article is explorative. Thus, we advocate further research on related novel phenomena, such as post-COVID-hybrid and work-from-home teams. A model of how to encourage positive dynamics in post-COVID-hybrid teams is developed and lays the groundwork for further studies on post-COVID teamwork. Concerning methodology, researchers are provided with information on how to conduct phenomenon-based research on novel phenomena, such as the COVID-induced virtual teams that we studied.
Practical implications
Companies receive advice on how to encourage positive dynamics in post-COVID teamwork, e.g. on identifying best practices and resilient individuals.
Social implications
In a country such as Germany that faces labor shortages, our insights might facilitate better labor-market integration for those with care-work obligations and international workers.
Originality/value
We offer a first conceptualization of a relevant novel phenomenon, namely COVID-induced virtual teams. We exemplify the phenomenon-based approach as a suitable methodology that serves to build relevant theory using active categorization.
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Zulma Valedon Westney, Inkyoung Hur, Ling Wang and Junping Sun
Disinformation on social media is a serious issue. This study examines the effects of disinformation on COVID-19 vaccination decision-making to understand how social media users…
Abstract
Purpose
Disinformation on social media is a serious issue. This study examines the effects of disinformation on COVID-19 vaccination decision-making to understand how social media users make healthcare decisions when disinformation is presented in their social media feeds. It examines trust in post owners as a moderator on the relationship between information types (i.e. disinformation and factual information) and vaccination decision-making.
Design/methodology/approach
This study conducts a scenario-based web survey experiment to collect extensive survey data from social media users.
Findings
This study reveals that information types differently affect social media users' COVID-19 vaccination decision-making and finds a moderating effect of trust in post owners on the relationship between information types and vaccination decision-making. For those who have a high degree of trust in post owners, the effect of information types on vaccination decision-making becomes large. In contrast, information types do not affect the decision-making of those who have a very low degree of trust in post owners. Besides, identification and compliance are found to affect trust in post owners.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature on online disinformation and individual healthcare decision-making by demonstrating the effect of disinformation on vaccination decision-making and providing empirical evidence on how trust in post owners impacts the effects of information types on vaccination decision-making. This study focuses on trust in post owners, unlike prior studies that focus on trust in information or social media platforms.
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Qian Hu, Zhao Pan, Yaobin Lu and Sumeet Gupta
Advances in material agency driven by artificial intelligence (AI) have facilitated breakthroughs in material adaptivity enabling smart objects to autonomously provide…
Abstract
Purpose
Advances in material agency driven by artificial intelligence (AI) have facilitated breakthroughs in material adaptivity enabling smart objects to autonomously provide individualized smart services, which makes smart objects act as social actors embedded in the real world. However, little is known about how material adaptivity fosters the infusion use of smart objects to maximize the value of smart services in customers' lives. This study examines the underlying mechanism of material adaptivity (task and social adaptivity) on AI infusion use, drawing on the theoretical lens of social embeddedness.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), mediating tests, path comparison tests and polynomial modeling to analyze the proposed research model and hypotheses.
Findings
The results supported the proposed research model and hypotheses, except for the hypothesis of the comparative effects on infusion use. Besides, the results of mediating tests suggested the different roles of social embeddedness in the impacts of task and social adaptivity on infusion use. The post hoc analysis based on polynomial modeling provided a possible explanation for the unsupported hypothesis, suggesting the nonlinear differences in the underlying influencing mechanisms of instrumental and relational embeddedness on infusion use.
Practical implications
The formation mechanisms of AI infusion use based on material adaptivity and social embeddedness help to develop the business strategies that enable smart objects as social actors to exert a key role in users' daily lives, in turn realizing the social and economic value of AI.
Originality/value
This study advances the theoretical research on material adaptivity, updates the information system (IS) research on infusion use and identifies the bridging role of social embeddedness of smart objects as agentic social actors in the AI context.
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Fausat Olaronke Ajibade, Joshua Oluwasuji Dada and Ajibade Adeyemo
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate stakeholders’ responsiveness as an important factor of public–private partnership (PPP) projects performance.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate stakeholders’ responsiveness as an important factor of public–private partnership (PPP) projects performance.
Design/methodology/approach
Primary data were collected through the administration of structured questionnaires on the key stakeholders (public sector authorities, concessionaires, local lenders (financiers), consultants and contractors) involved in the identified 24 PPP projects so far initiated by Lagos State government in Nigeria. As such, 37 managerial officers (public sector), 20 concessionaires, 17 financiers, 22 contractors and 19 consultants (private sector) were purposively selected. These give a total number of 115 sample size. Out of this, 81 valid responses were received and used for the analysis. The elicited data were analysed using frequency distribution, percentile, mean item score and analysis of variance statistics.
Findings
The findings show that the responsiveness of stakeholders to identified responsibilities can only be said to be fair on the part of two primary stakeholders: government and concessionaires, while others, financiers, consultants, contractors and end-users, exhibit low level of responsiveness in PPP projects.
Originality/value
The paper empirically gauges how stakeholders respond to their responsibilities in PPP project. The study also provided insight from both theoretical and empirical perspective and the effect of stakeholders’ responsiveness on the performance of PPP projects. This study has implications for PPP project performance.
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Mihail Cocosila, Houda Trabelsi and Glen Farrelly
The purpose of this paper is to investigate students’ viewpoint regarding continuation of using online learning in the post-COVID-19 pandemic world. While during the pandemic…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate students’ viewpoint regarding continuation of using online learning in the post-COVID-19 pandemic world. While during the pandemic years predominantly all formal learning was forced to move online, in the postpandemic environment traditional postsecondary education institutions generally resumed in-person (or face-to-face) learning. Nonetheless, it is possible that some students would like to continue using online learning after using such a system during COVID-19 restrictions. Therefore, it is important for postsecondary institutions to understand students’ views on continuing with online learning so that these institutions can better adapt their offerings to learners’ preferences.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a cross-sectional online survey-based approach grounded on an innovative theoretical framework blending the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology 2 into the expectation-confirmation model of information systems continuance. Data were collected from 247 students in Canada in Fall 2022 and were analyzed with partial least squares structural equation modeling techniques.
Findings
Perceptions of usefulness and of monetary benefits relative to costs together with developing positive habits regarding online learning are the most significant beliefs motivating students to want to continue with online learning. Furthermore, positive disconfirmation of initial expectations and satisfaction relying on previous use together with a favorable attitude with respect to online learning strongly influence the intention to continue with online education.
Originality/value
The study opens the door for similar research in other cultural contexts (e.g. with a different individualistic-collectivistic pattern) and for other domains that moved totally online during the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g. primary health care) to maximize people satisfaction while minimizing societal costs.
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Roushan Roy, Krishnendu Shaw, Shivam Mishra and Ravi Shankar
The uncertain supply chain network design (SCND) problem, considering suppliers’ environmental, social and governance (ESG) ratings, has been infrequently addressed in the…
Abstract
Purpose
The uncertain supply chain network design (SCND) problem, considering suppliers’ environmental, social and governance (ESG) ratings, has been infrequently addressed in the literature. Looking at the importance of ESG ratings in achieving supply chain sustainability, this study aims to fill the gap by incorporating supplier ESG factors into SCND within an uncertain environment.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents a multi-period, multi product SCND model that integrates ESG factors and accounts for uncertainties in supply and production capacities. The model seeks to minimize total operational costs by determining the optimal selection of plant and warehouse locations across multiple time periods. Uncertainties in supply and production capacities are managed through a chance-constrained programming approach with right-hand side stochasticity. A Lagrangian relaxation-based heuristic method is applied to address the NP-hard nature of the problem.
Findings
The efficacy of the proposed model is illustrated through a numerical example, demonstrating its capability to optimize material flows across the supply chain under uncertain conditions. The model simultaneously considers economic and ESG factors in procurement decisions. A sensitivity analysis is conducted to examine different operational scenarios and their implications on the model’s outcomes.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first to integrate ESG factors into SCND under uncertainty. The proposed model provides a robust framework for decision-makers to optimize supply chain operations while considering both economic and ESG objectives in an uncertain environment.
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Anil Kumar, Pawan Kumar Shaw and Sunil Kumar
The objective of this work is to analyze the necessary conditions for chaotic behavior with fractional order and fractal dimension values of the fractal-fractional operator.
Abstract
Purpose
The objective of this work is to analyze the necessary conditions for chaotic behavior with fractional order and fractal dimension values of the fractal-fractional operator.
Design/methodology/approach
The numerical technique based on the fractal-fractional derivative is implemented over the fractional model and analyzes the condition at the distinct values of fractional order and fractal dimension.
Findings
The obtained numerical solution from the numerical technique is analyzed at distinct fractional order and fractal dimension values, and it has been figured out that the behavior of the solution either chaotic or non-chaotic agrees with the condition.
Originality/value
The necessary condition is associated with the fractional order only. So, our work not only studies the condition with fractional order but also examines the model by simultaneously adjusting fractal dimension values. It is found that the model still has chaotic or non-chaotic behavior at certain fractal dimension values and fractional order values corresponding to the condition.